It’s been seven months since Meri Brown became a single woman, and the Sister Wives star is stirring up gossip that she has already found a replacement for Kody Brown.
Meri and Kody announced their separation in January 2023, telling their social media followers in a joint statement that they decided to “terminate” their 33-year-long marriage.
Since then, Meri has made no mention of Kody online and has claimed that she hasn’t reentered the dating world, either.
Though it seems that Meri is focused on her career as a LuLaRoe ambassador and the owner of her B&B, Lizzie’s Heritage Inn, her latest Instagram post has Sister Wives viewers curious whether she’s got her eyes on a new love interest.
To kick off the week, the 52-year-old TLC personality uploaded a selfie including herself and a mystery man to her Instagram feed.
Meri and her male acquaintance smiled big for the photo op, which looked to be snapped outside a public place. The duo had their arms around each other, and they were dressed casually, with Meri wearing a purple top and her male companion sporting a Cirque du Soleil t-shirt and giving the shaka sign for their pic.
Meri Brown debuts mystery man JD Crawford on social media
In the caption, Meri wrote, “One of my favorite moments from the weekend was hanging out with one of my favorite people!”
Meri continued to gush over the mystery man, writing, “This guy is kind, genuine, and authentic, a true friend. If you don’t have one of these humans in your life, one that has your back, one that no matter what time passes, it’s like no time passed at all, you should get yourself one! See you on your stomping grounds next @navjd !!”
So, who is Meri’s friend who she’s chosen to introduce to her 850,000 Instagram followers publicly? All we know is that his name is JD Crawford, and judging by his private Instagram profile, he looks to be in the military.
While it appears that JD is simply one of Meri’s friends, some Sister Wives fans are speculating otherwise. Meri turned off commenting on her post, but over on Reddit, her fans and critics got talking about her possible new romance.
Sister Wives viewers debate whether Meri and JD are romantically linked
A Redditor shared a post titled “Go Meri!” and, in the caption, discussed the possibility of a romantic connection between Meri and JD.
Pointing out that it’s unlikely that Meri and JD are romantically involved, the Redditor did believe that the timing of Meri’s post was a “little s**t stirring for the online haters AND Kody.”
“I think Kody would be absolutely jealous of that as well as he sits in Robyn’s house,” they added. “He always has seemed to crave more outside friendships, etc. that come more naturally for Meri.”
Other Sister Wives viewers chimed in, offering their two cents on Meri’s relationship with JD, with most of them surmising that it’s just a platonic, friendly alliance.
One Redditor commented that regardless of Meri’s affiliation with JD, Kody is likely “stewing over the photo.”
Another Redditor commented that Meri sometimes posts photos with male friends just to prove that she’s not “all alone.”
Kody hasn’t appeared on Meri’s Instagram feed in nearly three years
The last time Meri made any mention of Kody on her Instagram feed – aside from announcing their split – was in 2020. In the post, Meri defended their relationship at the time, proclaiming her love for Kody.
“I’m here. I’m committed. I’m not going anywhere. Don’t get your hopes up on that,” Meri wrote her caption, making it abundantly clear that she was sticking by Kody through thick and thin.
However, as we know, something clicked that eventually led Meri to change her mind about standing by Kody’s side. Perhaps Christine and Janelle leading the way helped Meri decide to follow suit.
Sister Wives airs on Sundays at 10/9c on TLC and Discovery+.